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NASA’s Pam Melroy: Artemis to Involve Longer Lunar Stay, Prepare for Future Mars Trips; Karla Smith Jackson Comments
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NASA’s Pam Melroy: Artemis to Involve Longer Lunar Stay, Prepare for Future Mars Trips; Karla Smith Jackson Comments

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy has pointed out that astronauts under the Artemis lunar program will return to the moon “to stay this time” and prepare for future Martian trips, Government Matters reported Sunday.

She explained that a 20-year approach to land on Mars is currently in the works with support from an aligned acquisition strategy and the Biden administration’s fiscal 2022 proposed budget.

Karla Smith Jackson, a senior procurement executive and deputy chief information officer at NASA, added at the same online program that the agency is also working with its commercial partners to make Artemis-related payments and lower costs through data rights deals and other innovative methods.

She added that the agency is also looking to use the lunar effort to help commercialize the space economy.

In preparation for the first Artemis lunar trip, NASA will test launch the one-use, super heavy-lift Space Launch Vehicle by the end of 2022, shared Jackson.

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FAA Asks Public to Help Inform Environmental Review of SpaceX Rocket
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FAA Asks Public to Help Inform Environmental Review of SpaceX Rocket

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) seeks public comments on a draft review that assesses potential environmental impacts of SpaceX's future Starship launch system.

The draft programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) covers the aspects of launch, reentry, debris recovery, associated construction and road closure related to Starship, FAA said Friday.

SpaceX proposes to launch Starship from the Boca Chica Launch Site in Texas, which is also a detail assessed under the review. FAA would further analyze the environmental impacts of Starship's proposed future activities based on information gathered through the PEA.

The agency may conduct a more intensive environmental impact statement if issues determined from the review cannot be mitigated. Interested parties may submit input through Oct. 18th.

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Ted Kaouk Set to Join OPM as Chief Data Officer
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Ted Kaouk Set to Join OPM as Chief Data Officer

Ted Kaouk, chief data officer of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), will be transitioning to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in October as its CDO, Federal News Network reported Friday. 

He is also slated to assume the role of deputy director for human capital data management and modernization at OPM, while Chris Alvarez will succeed him as USDA acting chief data officer.

Kaouk has served the USDA for nine years and was recognized for his data analytics expertise and leadership both in the agency and across the federal government as chairman of the Federal CDO Council. 

He worked as a special assistant and program manager at the USDA Rural Development Office of the Undersecretary and also became the chief of staff in the department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer. 

At the CDO Council, he led the creation of a COVID-19 working group that collaborated with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and State Department for the visualization of pandemic-related data. 

He earned his bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and master’s degree from the University of Virginia. He also holds a doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

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Former Joint AI Center Chief John Shanahan Now CNAS’ New Adjunct Senior Fellow; Martijn Rasser Quoted
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Former Joint AI Center Chief John Shanahan Now CNAS’ New Adjunct Senior Fellow; Martijn Rasser Quoted

John Shanahan, the former Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) director and a two-time Wash100 Award recipient, has joined think tank Center for a New American Security (SNAS) as an adjunct senior fellow. He will conduct research on the adoption of AI for military applications as a top fellow in the Technology and National Security Program, CNAS said Tuesday.

The retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general brings to the organization experience gained throughout his 36-year military career, which includes holding operational and staff positions in intelligence, policy, command and control, and other fields and commanding service groups at different levels.

He also served as the first director of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team and led a Department of Defense pathfinder program for AI-enabled intelligence collection and analysis.

“His decades of operational experience in the Air Force and JAIC and his expertise in the real-world applications of AI in defense will be an invaluable asset to our growing portfolio of work,” shared Martijn Rasser, a CNAS senior fellow and director of the Technology and National Security Program.

Shanahan, which retired from service in 2020, is currently studying under the Master of International Studies program at the North Carolina State University.

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GovCon Expert Reggie Brothers: BigBear.ai First Half 2021 Financial Results Show Consistent Contract Awards, Backlog Growth
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GovCon Expert Reggie Brothers: BigBear.ai First Half 2021 Financial Results Show Consistent Contract Awards, Backlog Growth

BigBear.ai, an artificial intelligence and cloud-based data analytics solutions provider, announced its first half 2021 financial results, which include $72 million in year-to-date revenue, $150 million in contract awards and their upcoming merger with GigCapital4, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.

“BigBear.ai’s steady pace of contract awards and expanded customer engagements drove our strong year-to-date revenue and backlog growth,” said 2021 Wash100 Award winner Dr. Reggie Brothers, CEO of BigBear.ai.

The company’s new contract awards combined with their backlog as of June 30th, 2021 now totals around $485 million.

GovCon Expert Dr. Brothers continued, “This is a testament to our successful track record for growing customer relationships by seamlessly implementing flexible solutions that enable customers to make critical decisions faster, more accurately and with better outcomes.”

One of BigBear.ai’s newest contract awards includes a recent transformational commercial agreement with Virgin Orbit that is expected to generate annual recurring revenue of $6 million over four years.

Additionally, Brothers said he is looking forward to BigBear.ai’s business combination with GigCapital4 and the subsequent emergence of BigBear.ai as a public company.

In a recent Executive Spotlight, Brothers said that merging BigBear.ai with GigCapital4, “Fuels our commercial growth, expands our sales and marketing, funds our research and development efforts that accelerate the product offerings, and enables us to continue pursuing corporate growth opportunities.”

Brothers also noted that the timing of some key contract awards has been significantly affected by Covid-related delays, but that the difference between the BigBear.ai’s investments and revenue is expected to be settled in the second half of 2021 to accurately reflect the company’s performance.

Due to these delays, BigBear.ai has revised their previous financial projections for fiscal year 2021. The company is now projecting revenue between $88 million and $113 million in the second half of 2021, which brings full-year projected revenue between $160 million and $185 million.

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Space Force Eyes New Capabilities to Improve Satellite Control Network’s Capacity; Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Quoted
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Space Force Eyes New Capabilities to Improve Satellite Control Network’s Capacity; Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Quoted

The U.S. Space Force is looking to increase the capacity of the Satellite Control Network – a system of ground stations and tracking antennas used by the U.S. military to operate and communicate with satellites – by exploring new capabilities that could keep pace with the future growth in space activities, SpaceNews reported Sunday.

“And we’re looking at new capabilities coming on, like phased array antennas which would give us a significant increase in capacity, as well as partnering with commercial and civil organizations to use their satellite control networks,” said Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of Space Operations Command.

Lt. Col. Louis Aldini, materiel leader for data transport at Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Enterprise Corps, said the Space Force concluded its assessment of phased array antennas, also known as multiband multimission (MBMM), in February.

“During the life of the contract, MBMM demonstrated a phased array technology for transmitting and receiving capabilities with live DoD assets,” said Aldini. “While SSC is no longer pursuing MBMM, we are continuing to work in partnership with Space RCO to share relevant information, knowledge and lessons learned from the original MBMM effort.” 

Ed Baron, former president of Braxton Science & Technology Group who now leads the Commercial Augmentation Services program at Parsons, said the U.S. government should look at commercial services and its economic benefits. In November, Parsons closed its acquisition of Braxton in a move to expand technology offerings for space, intelligence and cyber sectors. 

Baron said the MBMM phased array antenna procurement effort was “an excellent program to be investing in, but tapping into commercial gives them access to hundreds of antennas.” 

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NOAA to Back Ocean Observing Tech Development Efforts Under 11 Cooperative Agreements; Carl Gouldman Quoted
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NOAA to Back Ocean Observing Tech Development Efforts Under 11 Cooperative Agreements; Carl Gouldman Quoted

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has entered into five-year cooperative agreements with 11 federally certified Integrated Ocean Observing System regional associations to develop observing technologies that could be used to predict changes in ocean and climate, drive environmental stewardship and support coastal disaster preparation and response efforts.

NOAA said Tuesday it will allocate $41 million in funds to IOOS regional associations during the first year to support their work along U.S. national and territorial coasts and waters.

The awardees are the Alaska Ocean Observing System; Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System; Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System; Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System; Great Lakes Observing System; Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System; Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems; Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems; Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System; Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System; and the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association.

"More than 40% of the U.S. population lives along the coast, and even more rely on the ocean, coast, and Great Lakes for their livelihoods, weather, and services every day," said Carl Gouldman, director of NOAA’s U.S. IOOS office. 

"The IOOS Regional Associations link on-the-ground needs to our national system, ensuring its flexibility, responsiveness, and diversity while coordinating a network of regional coastal observing systems,” added Gouldman.

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Aerospace & Defense Industry Recorded $874B in 2020 Revenue; AIA’s Eric Fanning Quoted
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Aerospace & Defense Industry Recorded $874B in 2020 Revenue; AIA’s Eric Fanning Quoted

The Aerospace Industries Association has released a report saying the aerospace and defense industry was still able to record $874 billion in revenues, contribute $90.6 billion in exports and hired 2.09 million workers in 2020 despite the significant business and job losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year’s report details the effects that the COVID-19 had on the A&D industry. It also provides a glimpse of the positive trends and opportunities that will form the basis of our industry’s growth in a post-pandemic world,” Eric Fanning, president and CEO of AIA and a previous Wash100 Award winner, said in a statement published Wednesday.

The A&D industry represented 1.8 percent, or approximately $382 billion, of the total U.S. gross domestic product, made $59 billion in combined tax contributions and issued $218.6 billion in compensation, accounting for 2 percent of the country’s total labor income.

According to the AIA report, military aircraft, missiles, space systems and other defense aerospace products accounted for 15 percent, or $13.7 billion, of all A&D exports in 2020. Defense non-aerospace products, including ships, tracked vehicles and artillery represented 5 percent, or $4.1 billion, of the total annual A&D exports.

The Department of Defense helped facilitate the cash flow into the A&D supply chain during the pandemic by advancing about $4 billion in progress payments across 1,400 government contracts in 2020.

The report, which was developed in partnership with IHS Markit, also sheds light on the A&D industry’s involvement in COVID-19 relief efforts and identifies several growth areas for the industry, including small unmanned aerial systems, space commerce and advanced air mobility vehicles.

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Planet Partners With Climate TRACE to Promote Climate Transparency, Track Emissions
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Planet Partners With Climate TRACE to Promote Climate Transparency, Track Emissions

Planet Labs, a platform that utilizes high-frequency satellite data to provide global climate insights, announced on Thursday that the company has partnered with Climate TRACE to build and deploy greenhouse gas emissions-tracking technologies for industry, government and commercial use in the transition to a low-carbon future.

Climate TRACE, a climate-driven coalition of NGOs, universities and technology companies, uses artificial intelligence, satellite image processing and machine learning to independently and publicly track emissions data.

With this data, Climate TRACE creates tools that organizations in the private and public sectors can use to make climate-related decisions and drive sustainability strategies. 

Andrew Zolli, vice president of sustainability and global impact at Planet, shared that a large part of currently available emissions data is obtained from sources that are out of date and imprecise, highlighting the need for reliable technology innovations in the climate sector.

“Steering us toward a lower-carbon, more sustainable future requires trusted, real-time indicators that illuminate the behavior of climate-linked systems — and that’s exactly what Climate TRACE is producing with our data,” Zolli continued.

Gavin McCormick, founding member of the Climate TRACE coalition and co-founder of WattTime, noted that Planet offers the coalition access to a dataset that is essential in the partnership’s efforts to improve and accelerate global emissions monitoring.

“We’re grateful to Planet for sharing their vast trove of data which has definitely enhanced our modeling, particularly by letting us examine emitting sources more times per month,” said McCormick.

https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/poc-meeting-the-challenge-of-climate-change-in-industry-government-and-society/

On Tuesday, Sept. 22nd, Potomac Officers Club will host its Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change in Industry, Government and Society Virtual Forum to define a clear picture of the challenges that the U.S. and the rest of the world are facing as well as some of the most significant questions surrounding climate change.

Dr. Renee McPherson, university director for the University of Oklahoma’s South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Forum to discuss the societal and ecological impacts of climate variability and change as well as its long-term impact on the health of the Earth, our national security and way of life. 

Visit PotomacOfficersClub.com to register for the platform’s Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change in Industry, Government and Society on Sept. 22nd.

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Octo Forms Joint Venture with Tyto Athene; CEOs Mehul Sanghani, Chris Melihammer Quoted
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Octo Forms Joint Venture with Tyto Athene; CEOs Mehul Sanghani, Chris Melihammer Quoted

Octo Consulting and Tyto Athene announced on Friday that the two federal IT service providers will create a Joint Venture (JV) that will operate as Octo-Athene, LLC to deliver enhanced network modernization capabilities, data conversion services and other innovative technology solutions to the U.S. Federal Government.

“The full spectrum modernization and transformation capabilities brought to bear by this JV make us a force to be reckoned with in the marketplace,” said Mehul Sanghani, CEO of Octo.

Octo-Athene will serve the defense, national security, intelligence, space, health and civilian sectors with years of expertise in emerging key areas such as 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data interoperability, blockchain, defensive cyber operations and network modernization.

Both Sanghani and Chris Melihammer, CEO of Tyto Athene, cited previous successful collaborations between the two companies and expressed excitement about the future of the new Joint Venture.

Melihammer continued, “We look forward to delivering our combined capabilities for the benefit of our customers and their respective business objectives.”

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